Unforgotten season 6 is in the ITV pipeline which will be welcome news for the many fans of this long-running cold case crime drama.
The opening episode of last Unforgotten season 5 was the most watched programme on ITV1 in 2023 so far, so it’s safe to say fans will be eagerly anticipating the start of the new series.
Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar are back as DCI Jess James and DI Sunny Khan, who have thankfully moved on from what was a tense start to their working relationship.
Sinead says: "“I am absolutely delighted to be stepping into the world of Unforgotten once more. To be involved with the incredible team at Mainstreet on yet another set of stellar scripts from Chris Lang, with the brilliant Andy Wilson at the helm is a real treat. And to get to work again with Sanjeev, Carolina, Jordan, Pippa, and Georgia is an absolute joy. To call it *work* is a total misnomer. I can’t wait to get started!”
Sanjeev adds: “I’m humbled and excited to be back as Sunny Khan, bearing the backpack for series 6 of Unforgotten. Chris’s scripts, as ever, are intriguing, detailed and empathetic. Andy’s direction and the skill of Sinead and the cast make this a warm and creative experience that so much more than a job. Once again I feel lucky to be a part of it.”
Unforgotten season 6 will follow the detectives as they investigate another gripping cold case, which is a murder from the past, unraveling secrets and unearthing buried truths along the way.
Each of the six episodes will be written by Chris Lang, the man behind The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, so we can’t wait to see what’s in store for our detectives. Here’s everything we know about Unforgotten season 6 so far…
Unforgotten season 6 release date
Unforgotten season 6 will launch on ITV1. There’s no confirmed release date yet for this new six-part series but as soon as one is confirmed, we’ll update you on this page. In the meantime, you can catch up with Unforgotten season one to five on ITVX.
Unforgotten season 6 cast — Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jess James
Sinéad Keenan plays DCI Jess James, who arrived in Unforgotten season 5 to replace Cassie Sturart (Nicola Walker) who'd been killed in a car accident.
The mum's first day didn't go to plan as her husband admitted to an affair and completely threw her. She didn't start off particularly popular with her colleagues, especially Sunny who was still grieving the loss of Cassie.
Sinéad Keenan has starred in several big shows including Being Human, Showtrial, Derry Girls, Doctor Who and Little Boy Blue. She played Theresa Ryan in Three Families and appeared in My Left Nut, Deep Water and Moving Wallpaper.
Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunny Khan
Sanjeev Bhaskar has played DI Sunny Khan since Unforgotten season 1, when his detective partner Cassie Stuart was played by Nicola Walker. Ever since Cassie was killed at the end of Unforgotten season 4, Sunny has been devastated at the loss of his friend and confidante. He only pulled himself together during Unforgotten season 5 when he managed to get along better with his new partner Jess.
Sanjeev Bhaskar starred in the hugely successful series The Kumars at No. 42. He’s also been in Yesterday, Paddington 2, The Indian Doctor, Sandylands, Goodness Gracious Me and The Sandman.
Who else is starring in Unforgotten season 6?
The rest of the cast for Unforgotten season 6 has yet to be announced but we'll be updating in due course.
Unforgotten season 6 plot
There will be another big cold case for Jess and Sunny to solve in Unforgotten season 6 but we have very few details yet, or any updates on how their private lives are faring. We will add more here when we find out what happens in this series.
Is there a trailer for Unforgotten season 6?
It's far too early to get a trailer for Unforgotten season 6 but when one becomes available we’ll post it on here.
Series recap: What happened in Unforgotten season 5? (Warning — spoilers ahead!)
Here's our recap of Unforgotten season 5. There are spoilers so please give this section a miss if you haven't yet watched the series.
Sinéad Keenan’s DCI Jess James replaced Nicola Walker’s DCI Cassie Stuart, who died in the Unforgotten season 4 finale. Jess had a rocky start as on the first morning of her new job, her husband admitted to an affair.
At the end of the series, we saw Jess and Sunny Khan solve the murders of Precious Falade and her son Joseph Bell, son of cult leader David Bell. They were told by witness Jay Royce (Rhys Yates) that Precious was accidentally shot during a tussle between Tory MP Lord Tony Hume and his secret great-grandson Joseph. Hume had raped Precious’ grandmother many years earlier and had been paying out hush money ever since.
Royce said that after Precious’ death, Hume shot Joseph as he knelt beside his dying mother. Dying Hume was charged for the crime but a dramatic twist revealed that in fact, Precious had accidentally killed her son and then turned the gun on herself.
Jay admitted to his nan Ebele (Precious’ estranged mother, played by Martina Laird) he’d lied so Hume would receive payback for the hurt he’d caused their family.
Behind the scenes, filming news and more on Unforgotten series 6
Unforgotten series 6 began filming in spring 2024, and is created and written by multi award-winning screenwriter Chris Lang and produced by Mainstreet Pictures.
Chris Lang says: “I'm incredibly excited to be about to start filming the sixth series of Unforgotten, with a story that has been gestating for nearly eight years, since the 23rd June 2016, when our country seemed to fracture in two. The UK, and indeed the world, has today never seemed more divided, and series six attempts to try and understand how we got to where we are now, and perhaps more importantly, where we can go from here.”
Unforgotten series 6 will be directed by Andy Wilson (Ripper Street, Spooks, The Forsyte Saga) who has been the sole director responsible for directing each of the previous 30 episodes across five series of the globally successful drama. Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes, on behalf of Mainstreet Pictures, return to executive produce alongside Chris Lang, Guy de Glanville (Unforgotten, Gold Digger, Age Before Beauty) and Andy Wilson. Carmel Maloney produces the series (Time, Domina, Dublin Murders).
Sally Haynes says: “After the huge success of Series 5 with the brilliant team of Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar, Chris has once again delivered a compelling and timely story that reflects the world we live in through the mystery of a dismembered corpse buried in marshland and the people whose lives connected with him. It’s going to be another gripping ride.”
